Takashi Murakami, the world-renowned Japanese fine artist known for converging high and lowbrow art, announces his new venture, Ohana Hatake—a first-of-its-kind independent footwear brand led by a fine artist.

Ohana Hatake, which translates to “field of flowers,” was created in collaboration with VIOLET ST. With his new endeavor, Murakami blends traditional Japanese influences, contemporary pop culture, and innovative product design to create totally original silhouettes that fit neatly into his esteemed catalog of artwork.

Speaking on the origins of the brand’s name, Murakami notes on the importance of a flower motif in the Japanese manga series, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. “The great mage, Flamme, teaches the main character, Frieren, a spell that doesn’t seem particularly useful yet is deeply cherished — the spell to create a field of flowers,” explains Murakami. “There is an episode which shows how using this spell had led Frieren to encounter the hero Himmel. Watching this scene in the anime, I was moved to tears, and I felt gratified by my long dedication to the flower motif in my artwork.”

The first of his signature designs, the Ohana Full-Bloom, features an exaggerated and wearable interpretation of his iconic, beaming flower motif. The second Surippa Ohana, a whimsical take on the Japanese house slipper, features Murakami’s unmistakable artwork carved into a rubber tread for added durability. Both silhouettes are crafted from durable, plush EVA foam for maximum comfort, with more models to follow in 2025.

“The underlying concept in all of my work is to explore happiness through artistic creation,” Murakami notes in a statement. “In a country that, as a war-defeated nation, cannot claim full autonomy and independence, I am pursuing an expression that explores the very relationship between American and Japanese cultures. I would love it if those who wear these sandals could sense how this team managed to craft something wonderful out of my quirky, off-the-mark ideas.”

With two new colorways of the Ohana Full-Bloom, Apricot & Raspberry Rose, are now available via raffle on the brand’s site ohanahatake.com, with more releases to come in the following weeks. Ohana Hatake will also debut in person at this year’s ComplexCon in Las Vegas November 16th – 17th (hosted by music icon Travis Scott) with exclusive colorways of Ohana Full-Bloom, and an early release of the first Surippa Ohana colorway, Rust, in honor of Murakami’s KaiKai Kiki studio team slide.

Ohana Hatake is now available exclusively on ohanahatake.com, with a limited release via a soon-to-be-announced select global retail partner starting in December, and a larger global rollout soon to come in 2025.